If you want gear tested don’t put it on someone gadding about the hills, stick on a bloke going to his work. Wigwam’s rather literally named At Work Steel Toe socks have been on my feet on an almost daily basis for months and I finally caught them in between my feet and the washing machine long enough to get a photie and write them up.
I was picking out some new socks to review (coming up over the next few weeks) and Gus said “What about these?” I raised an eyebrow, but was assured that they were of the same quality as the outdoor stuff and besides, the industrial themed packaging made me smile.
The Steelies (as they shall be known) as are all-synthetic, mainly Acrylic with some Olefin (think polypropylene), Nylon and Spandex. This makes sense, work boots are usually poor fitting, poorly finished at the inner seams and shred merino socks. It works too, the socks are getting a little bobbly here and there but are undamaged.
They’re properly thick too, especially around the toes, heel and under your foot. This gives cushioning and warmth, steel toe caps are cold in winter and these boys Just Say No to cold toes. The top of the foot is a little thinner but is still comfortable, no lace pressure and the medium height ankle has the power to stay up all day without giving you a red ring on your leg under the cuff.
In the photie above the left sock is inside out and you can see loop padding on the sole and toe, it’s a little flattened in places as I’ve just taken them off, but by the morning it’ll have sprung back to life to a good extent after a wash, the longevity of these is looking promising. They’ll be bone dry by the morning too, moisture management is just what we expect from our outdoor socks, dry and comfy all day.
That white stripe is the toe seam, it’s there, but I can’t feel it on my foot, never had a rub from it which can be a common occurrence in steel toe-capped boots.
The fit is spot on. I’m a UK9 at the lower end of the size range for these socks and there’s no bagginess or wrinkling, even at the end of the day. Another happy moment is when I take my boots off and they don’t stink, their Odor Guard works and is still working after many washes.
Would these work on the hill? Probably would be fine if you had big boots, but I’m not wasting them on that stuff, these are engineers socks and he’s keeping them that way.
For work feet that are needing some tlc, these are highly recommended.
I have been using my Brashers for work, for a good few years now, for precisely the reasons you mention.
My heavier duty outdoor socks always end up as work socks, a world away from the three-pairs-for-a-pound work socks that I used to wear!